distressed 1 of 2

past tense of distress

distressed

2 of 2

adjective

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of distressed
Verb
After being alerted to a distressed whale in the area by anglers, an NSRI vessel was dispatched to the scene. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025 Crews altered course to reach the distressed vessel, which was just off the coast of Massachusetts’ capital city. Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
His heart was racing, his breathing distressed. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025 Recent downgrades by ratings agencies Fitch and Moody’s have raised questions on Afreximbank’s lending, especially to distressed African states. Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for distressed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distressed
Verb
  • The incursion was by far the largest-ever of Russian drones into NATO airspace, a move that has alarmed allied countries and fueled fears the war is escalating and spreading.
    Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Police took Taddese’s phone and vehicle as evidence, which alarmed the family, Bernard said, explaining some of the family’s reservations about the police investigation.
    PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Looking for role models, troubled young men find Andrew Tate.
    Jay Stahl, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Laporta has repeatedly said that returning to the Camp Nou, which will have a capacity of 105,000 when finished, as soon as possible is crucial to boosting their troubled finances.
    Pol Ballus, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Because that’s the case, their actual margin opportunity is depressed.
    Evan Clark, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2025
  • This might be because people are a bit depressed.
    Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 14 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Vic and Cali hadn’t wanted a wedding, but this had disturbed Vic’s parents.
    Bryan Washington, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Some civil servants working to bolster democracy around the world and at home, for example, were disturbed by shifts in foreign policy.
    Yvonne Zylan, The Conversation, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Dickinson appeared somewhere between perturbed and seething.
    Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The walk to the penalty spot didn’t feel long for Bronze, partly because she was distracted by the strapping.
    Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
  • First published in 1985, the book warned that the threat to American democracy came not from state repression, but from a culture distracted by amusement.
    Time, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Remember how agitated Laura got when Daniel scraped his knee mountain biking?
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
  • As officers tried to determine if he was connected to the disturbance, Cusick allegedly became agitated and produced a firearm, Depue said earlier.
    Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Traders worried about inflation tend to pour money in gold, which some believe holds an intrinsic value that hedges against rising prices.
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Some scientists worried such accidents might genuinely threaten our existence.
    Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 15 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Distressed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distressed. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on distressed

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!